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Speaker urges retention of parly changes

Speaker Anna Burke has urged new federal MPs to push for the retention of time for private members' business in parliament.

Under rules put in place for the hung parliament during the past three years, individual MPs were given unprecedented opportunity to set the agenda, raise motions, debate issues and bring forward their own legislation.

The coalition has not guaranteed the same rules will remain in place under its majority government, which is due to sit for the first time on November 12.

Ms Burke on Tuesday told 41 new MPs who gathered at Parliament House for two days of training the hung parliament had made many advances which should be protected.

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"You need to be thinking of yourself ... as an individual member of parliament. You are here representing your community," she said.

"In the last parliament there were a lot opportunities for individual members to actually have speaking roles, to be involved in discussions, to bring forward private member's bills.

"That doesn't happen in majority parliaments, but I'm hoping some of the reforms will carry through."

Ms Burke will step down from the speakership when parliament resumes and will be replaced by Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop.

She said the new MPs were part of a "very select group of Australians".

"Only 1133 people have ever been elected to the House of Representatives ... so wear that with pride," she said.

Ms Burke said there was some ambiguity in MPs' entitlements but the rule of thumb should be to publicly declare "everything" and set up internal checking systems.

"The easiest thing is declare everything and, if it doesn't pass the `front of the Herald Sun, The Daily Telegraph or The Courier-Mail test', don't claim it. Pretty simple," she said.

"And if you are confused, there are people to ring and ask."

Ms Burke said if it was a genuine work-related expense "claim it".

"If it's going to a wedding - I will be very controversial - don't," she said.

"It's not work, regardless of what anybody says.

"And it's not going to pass the ultimate test - the community - regardless of whether you can justify it to people here or the federal police at the end of the day."